«Previous    Next»
Petal Tickler Helps Pollinate Greenhouse Tomatoes
Pollinate greenhouse tomatoes faster and easier with a Petal Tickler from Progressive Solutions. The lightweight unit has a tip that oscillates at 90 cycles per second, shaking loose pollen to ensure a better fruit set, larger fruit and fewer culls.
  “Touch the tip to the stem where the blossom cluster is located and turn it on,” says David Kline, Progressive Solutions. “When conditions are right, you can see a cloud of white pollen fly around it.”
  Kline developed the Petal Tickler for a brother who grows hydroponic tomatoes. At the time, the preferred powered hand pollinator was a Dutch unit. Kline’s unit is lighter, simpler and easier to manufacture.
  “A local machine shop helped us with the design,” says Kline. “A few years ago we had injection molds made, and now my family and I assemble them together ourselves.”
  The rechargeable, cordless unit is designed to last for 6 hrs. but some customers say it lasts much longer.
  The Petal Tickler is about 16 in. long with a 4-in. vibrating rod. The vibration is produced by a small DC motor with an offset bearing that converts rotary motion to linear.
  “The length of the Petal Tickler makes it easier to reach the top blossoms later in the season,” explains Kline.
  The original Ultima Pollinator, with a 5-ft. cord that clips to a 6-volt battery, retails for $185. The rechargeable Ultima CL is priced at $245.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Progressive Solutions, 10580 County Road 329, Shreve, Ohio 44676 (ph 330 567-5937).


  Click here to download page story appeared in.



  Click here to read entire issue




To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
Order the Issue Containing This Story
2012 - Volume #36, Issue #1